1234d

papu26: looks excellent!

Zol: according to a local interviewer, the admission rate for sgporeans who went for MIT interviews was 3 times higher than those who didn't go for an interview. don't read too much into this though.

calcutta: email would be goood. go take the initiative to find out who's the regional admission officer in charge of Sg applicants.

frankchn

That's the general rate - both Americans and internationals (but mainly Americans). But you still gotta have a I*O medal or something to have a decent shot at MIT though =p

frankchn

Pros:
- Small population - "where everybody knows your name"
- Freedom of choice in what to take and what not to take for a major
- More classes outside your core major(s)
- Different Environment
- More supportive profs dedicated to teaching (as with most LACs)

Cons:
- Expensive
- No guarantees of a work visa after you graduate
- Different Environment

RAIRAIRAI

Hey thanks to kthanksbye, frankchn and 1234d for answering my question but I'm still not clear what that actually meant! Sorry, I seriously have no clue how the mailing thing works or stamps for that matter like I honestly was ***ff when you guys were talking about including $5 or subject teacher and counselor's package costing money etc.

Ok, so correct me if I'm wrong here.

First, besides consolidating my transcripts and other application materials, I should make sure that the package/envelope that I am going to put those materials in is ready for mail, yes? After it is ready, I should pass it along with whatever materials to my CT who will then put in the teacher recs etc and then finally mail it. Am I correct in saying that?

Say I am correct, now, how do I use the stamps etc on the front of my package? Like, should I just go to a post office and ask them to help me with it? Or should I just buy stamps and do it myself?

Thanks for the help!

RAIRAIRAI

And to the NUSHS dude, all the colleges I'm applying to are liberal arts colleges. I'm not Singaporean though.

You should really think about what you want from your education. you go to a renowned us university, you probably will have a good shot at raking in the big bucks. If that's the case then go there. If you want something more like equipping yourself with the powerful tools of clear expression, critical thinking etc and you want breadth and depth in what you study along with accessible professors, then go to an LAC. Now, I'm not selling the other normal unis short here but it's just easier to achieve those things in an LAC by virtue of its size and its focus on pedagogy and a student's holistic devt.

Or if you have varied interests and really want to explore them like me, an LAC would be the perfect place. Few of the colleges I'm applying to like Marlboro College and Hampshire College even allows me to combine my areas of interest because the focus of the school is on interdisciplinary learning. But then again, you really must be sure that that's what you want and that you're ready to go out there and be independent for your own learning. If that's what you desire but are apprehensive about name recognition in Singapore for job prospects, then you can always try for Brown where there are no core requirements! Or there are Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin etc who have a good name recognition in Sg too, I think.

But if you really want hardcore LAC curriculum, you should consider St. John's College in Annapolis and Santa Fe which I considered for quite a while. Awesome but intimidating college.

Also, even if your interested in the sciences, an LAC could still be a great choice. A lot of the good/great LACs have just an outstanding record of sending its graduates to the top grad colleges as the Ivy League colleges. And if you were to look at the last 25 americans to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Chemistry, you'd see a significant LAC presence.

I chose LACs because as much as Sg has seemed to squeeze out any joy in learning possible, I still really just want to learn for its sake; like a few of the LSCs I'm applying to does not even offer grades but narrative evaluations instead! I want to have contact with my professors and be friends with them. I want a place where everyone is not just there to get a degree but to simply learn because that kind of environment can only stimulate immense intellectual growth.

Singapore preaches about practicality and pragmatism a hell lot and living here for your entire life, it is easy to completely buy it and thus an LAC might look like a volatile choice. But ultimately, it is up to you; what do you want from your education? Answer that without any kind of that Singaporean practicality, pragmatism, forward-looking etc and then decide on your colleges.

And fyi, apparently, an average college grad changes his career 6 to 7 times which would mean that the skills taught to you by an LAC would be vital and extremely useful especially in today's volatile world, though I'm guessing that that statistic holds true only for the Americans.

Yeah, be sure of what you want and good luck!

frankchn

Yes.

Well, I bought like more than S$50 worth of stamps and koped a roll of air mail stickers and did it myself.

pfaocltd

Yay, I found this place! I'm enrolling in college next year, but I'm not applying for local scholarships.

I know it's not nice to ask for help with a 1 post history, but oh well... So... I know what are my dream schools are, but does anyone have safety colleges with a decent intl. aid/merit scholarship policy to recommend for Physics/Math/EECS?

So far I'm thinking of Illinois Tech... but I'm more fond of the weather at Massachusetts (you must be going, what?) Thinking of Boston U, Brandeis, Northeastern, Clark...

Thanks in advance! ^^

frankchn

Your stats and CCAs? Very important.

pfaocltd

Hm, mind if I send you by PM?

frankchn

Sure okay.

pfaocltd

Thanks aplenty!

I think I'm very long-winded... then I accidentally pressed the "Submit" button instead of "Preview"... FML ):

RAIRAIRAI

Thanks frankchn. A few more questions though.

What are air mail stickers? I'm guessing I might as well go to the post office and get stamps as well as those stickers, right? After I buy them, do I just paste one stamp each for each package? Also, I think Express mail is the fastest mailing service so how do I even use that service with mails? Or do I just give enough money to me CT and expect that she will use Express to send my packages?

Thanks!

pyrosphere

Ok, this is my situation, my SATI is horrible, 800M 650CR 670 WR = 2120
The thing is I'm confident that my SAT II for chem and mathII will get 800 based on all the practice tests and stuff. The thing is I'm not sure if I should try taking the ACT in december, then see whether my act or sat is better.

Assuming my sat I = 2120, sat II = 800 800, what do you think my act results should be for me to send in the act only? And the thing is that since i want to compare my act and sat results, i can only send in my application after i know my act results which might not come out before 1 jan... what do u think i should do then? as in indicate what scores on the common app?

Thanks!!

frankchn

Ah, never sent a letter before I see =p. The stickers are free and it says "Air Mail/Par Avion" in white letters on a dark blue background. This indicates that you want your letters air-mailed.

You can buy stamps in different denominations, you paste as much stamps as you want until you get the required value. I recommend that you use DHL/Fedex/UPS only after your university informed you that they didn't receive (aka misplaced/lost) some of your materials.

You need to prepare the envelopes individually for your teachers - don't give your teachers money.

themerlion

Or you could just send it through singpost. thats what i did. can go online and check some more. just go one of their offices and ull be able to send it through there.